Can I breastfeed if I have diarrhea during breastfeeding?

If the mother has diarrhea while breastfeeding, she needs to be careful. If it is mild diarrhea, do not take medicine casually, otherwise these diarrhea treatment medicines may enter the child's body through part of the breast milk, which is not good for the child. Mild diarrhea can usually be cured with proper treatment. So when your baby has diarrhea, as long as you don't take any medicine, you can continue breastfeeding. The following is a detailed introduction on whether you can breastfeed if you have diarrhea.

Can I breastfeed if I have diarrhea during breastfeeding? Diarrhea caused by unclean diet or infection by pathogens (bacteria, viruses) will not be transmitted to the baby through breast milk. Some common infectious diseases are contagious two or three days before the new mother becomes ill, and can be transmitted through droplets or contact. By the time the new mother becomes ill, it is often too late to prevent the disease. Instead, the antibodies produced by the mother against pathogens can be transferred to the baby through breastfeeding, thereby increasing the protection for the baby.

If the baby also has diarrhea, you should stop breastfeeding and give the baby Smecta to stop diarrhea and protect the intestinal mucosa. During breastfeeding, you should avoid eating greasy and indigestible foods, such as lard, pig's trotters, potatoes, taro, soybeans, etc. Also, do not eat raw, cold and cool foods, such as tangerines, oranges, grapes, watermelons, etc. (things that cannot be eaten during breastfeeding). The most common cause of diarrhea during lactation is probably unclean postpartum diet or infection by pathogens (bacteria, viruses). You can use Smecta to stop diarrhea or take berberine tablets + Zhengchangsheng orally. If the diarrhea is severe and watery stools are frequent, it will cause dehydration. Soak in light salt water (0.9 grams of salt for every 100 ml of water) and drink it. For diarrhea, use Baoji Pills or Shenling Baizhu Granules. These are Chinese patent medicines and will have little effect on the baby if taken by the mother. Note that during this period, the diet should be light and easy to digest. Be careful not to catch cold and do not eat cold food. Otherwise the condition will worsen.

If you recover from diarrhea on your own, your body will develop immunity to the bacteria that cause diarrhea. This immunity will be passed to the baby through breast milk, so that the baby's body also gains the same resistance, which will help the child's future physical development and growth. From this perspective, you can breastfeed when you have diarrhea.